


Persona 4: Diamond

by Tressimir



Category: Persona 4
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Murder Mystery, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 09:02:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8572384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tressimir/pseuds/Tressimir
Summary: An adaptation of Persona 4 Golden with the inclusion of my and a friend's OCs. The overall plot remains mostly unchanged except for the addition of the new characters. Starts about a week after Rise joins the Investigation Team.





	1. Midnight Showing

Dinner at the Dojima household was the same as usual – mostly quiet and punctuated by the sound of eating, with the news on as a backdrop. At the moment an interview was on-screen, several reporters asking questions of a girl with long braided hair.

“Yuuna-san, your songs are extremely popular even here in Japan. To what do you attribute this astounding international success?”

The girl on screen smiled in response. “I was born in Japan and spent a good portion of my childhood here, so I guess I just have some kind of affinity for it? I made sure to keep my Japanese sharp while I was growing up overseas, and I’ve always been more into the musical styles over here than back in America. I think people recognize that in my work.”

“That’s quite the impressive story, and your success is remarkable! Who would you say are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your songs?”

“Well, one that immediately springs to mind is Risette. It wasn’t easy to get ahold of her music in America, but I’d spend hours listening to her whenever I had the chance. There are a few other artists as well, and I took some of my inspiration from anime themes, and I just kinda wrapped it all up into my personal style.” The way she smiled reminded Yu of Rise, albeit more reserved. But they had that same cheerful demeanor about them.

The reporter continued, thrusting the mic closer to the girl and asking, “So what brings you to Japan after all these years? Visiting family?”

Immediately the tone shifted as the girl glanced away, her voice softer as she replied, “I’d rather not talk about my family, if you don’t mind. I’ll be staying in Inaba, though.”

There was silence for a few awkward moments before the reporter cleared his throat. “Well, we’ll get back to our interview with Yuuna Shinomiya after this commercial break.”

As the commercials started, Nanako turned to Yu and commented, “That girl kinda looks like you, big bro. Her hair’s the same color as yours. And she likes Rise-chan too!” She clapped her hands excitedly, always happy to hear about fans of one of Yu’s friends.

“It is odd, though. First Rise Kujikawa and now Yuuna Shinomiya… Suddenly we’re getting an influx of celebrities coming into town. You’d think they’d stay away thanks to the murders.” Dojima set his chopsticks down as his phone rang, prompting him to get up and take the call.

Yuuna-san’s coming to Inaba and was interviewed on TV… It’s raining tonight. I’d better check the Midnight Channel.

~~

Yu watched the screen as the rain pounded down outside, the clock ticking ever closer to midnight. And just as 12:00 hit, the familiar yellow glow appeared on the TV screen. A silhouette was definitely visible there – an indistinct feminine figure, standing calmly with her hands behind her back. It didn’t show much, but Yu had an inkling…

As expected, his cell phone rang as the image faded, though he wasn’t expecting it to be Rise. “You watched the Midnight Channel too, Rise-chan?” He asked, his tone serious.

“Yeah… Senpai, I think that was the girl who got interviewed tonight. That songwriter, I mean. Yuuna Shinomiya. She did say she was coming to Inaba, and she was on TV, so I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”

Yu stopped to consider his options quickly before answering, “We don’t know where in Inaba she’ll be staying, so finding that out should be our first priority. Then we can make a plan for stopping the killer.”

“You’re right. You always come up with the best plans, Senpai.” Rise let out her typical flirty giggle that she often used around him, but he could detect a sense of unease behind it.

“We’ll meet up at Junes tomorrow and discuss how to proceed from there. See you then, Rise-chan.” Hearing Rise get off the line, he hung up himself and got ready for bed. This had been the shortest delay between two possible victims yet…

~~

The next day, the Investigation Team sat around their usual table at Junes and discussed their ideas. “Based on the pattern so far, Yuuna-san’s definitely the next target.” Yosuke mused. “But as far as I know, she doesn’t have relatives in Inaba. It wasn’t too hard to find Rise-chan, since her grandma lives in town, but how are we gonna find Yuuna-san…?”

“I guess the cops ain’t worried about her, I haven’t seen ‘em around. Or anyone outta the ordinary either, you’d think someone like her’d be easy to see.” Kanji stuffed another bite of grilled steak in his mouth as soon as he finished talking, though the rest of the team were just thankful he’d waited.

Everyone sat in silence for a minute or so before a light bulb went off in Yukiko’s head. “Oh, I just remembered! There was a guest coming in who had an unusually long-term reservation. If Yuuna-san doesn’t have family here in Inaba, then…”

“She might be staying at the Amagi Inn! It’s pretty much the best place around for that, and it’d explain why no one noticed her since people from out of town stay there all the time! You’re a genius, Yukiko!” Chie threw a fist into the air even as her friend shook her head modestly in response.

Teddie, who had remained silent up until this point, finally spoke in a contemplative voice. “Yuu-chan is that pretty girl who was on TV, right? She looked happy during her interview, but I could tell there was something beary wrong that she was trying not to show.”

Rise nodded, murmuring, “You saw it too, Teddie? It looked like an act when she was acting all cheerful, but I think that moment where it slipped was closer to her true self.”

“That’s not what’s important right now.” Yu interjected. “We need to find Yuuna-san and warn her that she’s in danger. Yukiko, could you check the Amagi Inn? The rest of us will try and gather more information.” He was as decisive as ever, and within moments everyone was scattering to look for their new mystery girl.

~~

Yukiko stepped lightly through the Inn’s halls, looking for the right room. When she found it, she knocked on the door and called, “Yuuna-san, are you in?”

The door opened to reveal the face she’d been looking for. “You’re… Yukiko-san, right? I’m guessing that since you aren’t in your kimono that this isn’t inn business?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.” Yukiko was taken aback by the aura that seemed to emanate from the guest. All the cheer was gone from her presence, replaced by a hopelessly cold and dead spirit. “Umm, you might have heard that there’s an ongoing investigation here in Inaba. You have a few things in common with the recent victims, and the killer is still at large, so I thought I’d warn you to be careful. And if you wouldn’t mind keeping this between us…?” Her voice trailed off as she met Yuuna’s gray-blue eyes.

“…Got it. I won’t say a word. Thanks, Yukiko-san.” There was a weight in her voice, like that of someone who’d lost all hope. Yukiko bowed formally and backed away, leaving her to her own devices.

Once she was on her own, she called everyone with the same message: “I found Yuuna-san, but something seems off. It’s supposed to rain again tonight, so make sure and check the Midnight Channel…”

~~

For the second night in a row, Yu watched the lack of picture on his TV as midnight approached. He was hoping that nothing would appear, yet his hopes were dashed when a clear picture of what appeared to be a derelict ship appeared on-screen with a girl that was obviously Yuuna Shinomiya front and center. She wore a flowing white dress that trailed several feet behind her, embroidered with roses and supremely elegant – it reminded him of the dress Yukiko’s Shadow wore, albeit less flashy and more regal. Her hair was down and framed her blazing yellow eyes in silver waves. There was no doubt that her Shadow had taken center stage.

“Welcome, one and all, to The Disappearance of Yuuna Shinomiya. I’ll be going on an indefinite hiatus, but before I go I thought I’d let you all see me one last time… A grand finale before I vanish from your eyes like foam. Come and enjoy the heartrending melodies I’ve written for all of you…”

The view on the TV faded as the Midnight Channel ended, leaving Yu’s mind to comprehend what Yuuna’s Shadow had said. Before he could get too lost in thought, though, his cell phone rang and he quickly picked it up.

“Senpai, did you see that?! That really was Yuuna-san! And the stuff she was saying sounded really bad, too… All that stuff about ‘an indefinite hiatus’ and ‘vanishing from our eyes’ sounds like she’s not intending to come back. You don’t think she…?”

“Calm down, Rise-chan. It’s just her Shadow saying whatever it wants again; we’ll check the TV tomorrow and go save her. We won’t let her die.” Yu’s voice cut through Rise’s panic, causing the idol to take a deep breath.

Once she had regained her composure, Rise breathed, “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s meet up tomorrow and go for it, Senpai!”

~~

Himiko scanned the TV world as everyone waited for Rise’s report. Yukiko looked the most downcast as she murmured, “I knew something seemed wrong with Yuuna-san, but I didn’t expect her to be kidnapped anyway… I hope we aren’t too late.”

“I’m sure we’ll be in time. The hard part’s gonna be gathering information about her; for Kanji and Rise-chan, we had to find out more about them before we could locate them in this world. But Rise-chan’s scanning power does seem better than Teddie’s nose, so…”

Yosuke’s monologue was interrupted by Rise stating, “I found her! It’s weird, though – she’s definitely not easy to keep tabs on, but her presence is really similar to Yu-senpai’s. As long as I keep comparing her presence to his, I can lead us to her! Let’s go!” At the idol’s command, everyone set off into the fog to locate the latest victim.

When they reached their destination, what they found startled them. The team gazed over a jumble of wrecked ships, the entrance leading down into one of the derelicts’ holds. “Woah, wasn’t expectin’ something like this.” Kanji muttered under his breath. “Looks like hell here.”

“I can smell her now that we’re this close. Yuu-chan’s scent isn’t anything like any of yours – it’s really stale, like she’s been underwater for a long time…” Teddie sounded worried, but brightened up as Yosuke patted his head.

Yu’s eyes were fixed straight forward as he declared, “We’re going in. There’s no way we’re letting Yuuna-san die!”


	2. I Am A Shadow, The True Self...

The interior of the derelict graveyard was filled with Shadows, as expected. The team cut through them was fierce and deadly efficiency, conserving as much of their energy for the conflict they knew awaited them.

“Go, Take-mikazuchi!” Kanji roared as his Persona manifested, its lightning-bolt sword reducing several fish-like Shadows to paste. “Man, this place just feels wrong. I mean, ‘s not like any of these places are normal, but…”

“I know what you mean.” Chie nodded as she sent a hablerie flying with a well-placed kick. “You can see through the gaps and it looks like we’re underwater. Even though there’s air in here, I feel like we should be drowning.”

They burst through a door into a large room filled with smashed furniture, and immediately a voice sounded from everywhere and nowhere all at once. “Why…?” It was obviously Yuuna’s voice, forlorn and sorrowful. “Why does everyone simply throw me away? What have I done to deserve this?” The voice faded, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the air.

Rise was the first one to break it, musing, “So she does have something she was holding back. That kind of isolation is a pain no one should have to face. We’ve gotta save Yuuna-san!”

More Shadows barred their way through the wreckage, though the team’s combined force was more than enough to blast them into oblivion. Yukiko and Teddie patched up everyone’s injuries with their Personas as Yuuna’s voice sounded through the air again. “I’m sick of having to struggle for everything, but I don’t want to be tied down. Won’t somebody care for me without chaining me to them?”

“I don’t even know what kind of life she’s had. She seems pretty messed up, though. Come on, partner, we’ve rested long enough.” Yosuke spurred everyone back into action, his words echoing what they were all thinking. The farther they went, the stronger their resolve became, until finally they ascended a stairway to the deck of a final ship just barely above the water.

“Yuuna-san!” Yukiko called as they spotted their rescue target. Yuuna was on her knees, breathing hard as her elegantly-attired Shadow stared haughtily down at her.

The Shadow’s golden eyes turned to the Investigation Team even as her lips twisted into a cruel smile. “More people… Will you finally save me? Will you be the ones who’ll cherish me?”

Yuuna glared up at her Shadow, snarling, “What the hell are you saying?! I can survive on my own… I don’t need people who are just going to hurt me!”

“But that is what you want. Everyone just throws you aside as soon as you’re not worth the trouble, and everyone who’s stayed beside you has had their lives go downhill. It’s just what happens.” The Shadow’s mocking words cut deep enough into Yuuna that all the rescuers could see it, her hands balling into fists at the sound of her doppelganger’s voice.

“I just want someone to love me. I want to be cared for and know that I’m important to someone. I want to be able to be close to someone without their life being ruined.” The change from mockery to tearful near-sobs was a sudden shift as Shadow Yuuna wiped away imaginary tears.

Yu felt his heart twinge at the display, and judging by his friends’ faces they felt the same way. “Yuuna-san…” Yukiko murmured to herself, feeling the other girl’s pain.

“Stop it! I’m not like that at all! Just because of what’s happened… I’m important to someone, I know it! I have a reason to live!” The girl sounded nearly hysterical in her denial, punching the floor beneath her helplessly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about! Just because you look like me, you think you can say what I think?!”

Her Shadow stopped its sorrowful display to level its gaze on her. “You deny everything I say, but that’s just because you don’t want to face the truth. I know everything about you – your insecurities, your fears, your desire to be loved. I know them just as you do. You know, because I am you.”

There was a crushing tension in the air for a moment as something snapped inside Yuuna. “You liar…” She growled, glaring ferociously at her Shadow. “You’re a liar! You’re not me!”

“Here we go, everyone! Get ready!” Rise warned as she summoned Himiko, Yuuna’s Shadow already gathering its lesser kin to it. A psychotic laugh rang through the air as the elegant figure was shrouded in darkness… then revealed itself, an enormous figure with the lower body of a countless-tentacled squid and Yuuna’s upper body, encased in the translucent bubble of a jellyfish’s head. The dress the Shadow had worn had morphed into a myriad of jellyfish tentacles, the thin stinger-tipped appendages a contrast to the great crushing ones below.

“I am a Shadow, the true self…” The voice was distorted as usual, adding extra horror to the monstrosity before them. “Don't come any closer... I don't want to lose anyone again!”

Rise scanned the Shadow as much as she could, calling out to relay her findings. “This one’s really strong, guys! Stay on guard!”

Kanji released a howl of anger and manifested Take-mikazuchi, screaming, “Leave this thing to me, I’m gonna beat its ass into next week!” The hulking Persona pointed its sword at the Shadow before them, electrical charges coalescing along its length before launching forward as a blinding bolt. The jellyfish tentacles moved to intercept the bolt and, much to everyone’s shock, it simply dissipated on contact with the tentacles.

“Damn! Electricity’s not workin’!” The delinquent growled, switching instead to what he was even better at – directing his Persona to beat the Shadow with all of its considerable strength. That was more effective, as the crushing tentacles tried and failed to ward off the heavy blows.

Yosuke brought forth Jiraiya with a determined expression, unleashing a withering gale toward the Shadow that left several gashes in its rubbery hide. Its retaliation was immediate and forceful, one of the colossal lower tentacles lashing out at the Persona and impaling it with the barb on the end. Yosuke collapsed as the pain of having part of himself so damaged.

“Why aren’t you giving up?!” Shadow Yuuna shrieked as the Investigation Team’s assault briefly ceased, Kanji and Yosuke being healed from their wounds. “Just leave me alone like everyone else!”

“No matter what you say, we won’t abandon Yuuna-san!” Yukiko called out defiantly. “Chie, let’s go!”

Chie grinned and nodded back at her friend. “Alright, full power! Come, Tomoe!” Her yellow-clad Persona appeared alongside Yukiko’s floral one, a torrent of ice and fire crashing into the Shadow in a devastating juxtaposition of elements. The howl of pain that answered the attack confirmed that it did, indeed, work, but that wasn’t the end. A pair of serpentine dragons formed from the remaining fire and ice, circling Shadow Yuuna before diving in and exploding against it.

“You… You idiots! You’re just wasting your time! You’ll all join me as we drown in despair!” The elemental assault had torn free some of the Shadow’s tentacles, leaving it in a weakened state. Its golden eyes swept over the group before fixing on Yukiko. “You keep running your mouth about ‘saving’ me… You’ll die first!” The Shadow held its hand out before it, a golden light appearing between its palms before unleashing a brilliant beam at the Amagi heiress.

Yukiko’s scream filled the air as the radiant attack illuminated her and she dropped to the ground, unconscious. “Oh no…” Rise sounded like she was on the verge of panic as she analyzed the attack. “Everyone, this is bad! She’s using light attacks – if you get hit by even one of those, you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble!”

Yu gritted his teeth at Yukiko’s fall and Rise’s declaration. “Chie, get Yukiko back on her feet! Teddie, heal her as soon as she’s back up! Kanji, Yosuke, cover me!” He concentrated on his Personas, mentally flipping over to one that would overcome Shadow Yuuna’s resilience. “Oukuninushi!”

The armored warrior appeared amid a flare of blue light, charging at the Shadow with his sword drawn back. Several barbed tentacles thrust toward Yu’s Persona, but timely intervention by Yosuke and Kanji saw them forced to withdraw under a barrage of wind and crushing blows. With his path unhindered, Oukuninushi swung his blade in a mighty arc and tore a huge gash in Shadow Yuuna’s form.

“Why do you keep fighting? Why don’t you just leave? Do you really think I’m worth saving?!” The Shadow’s voice was practically dripping with sorrow as it spoke, the remaining jellyfish tentacles lashing out. Yosuke collapsed from the electric shock, as did Chie, while Yukiko and Teddie evaded the attack and the electricity failed to faze Kanji and Yu.

“Bear-sona!” Teddie’s sudden counterattack surprised all of them, Investigation Team and Shadow alike, as a large chunk of ice formed and slammed into Shadow Yuuna’s membranous dome. “Sensei, it’s all yours!”

Yu turned his eyes to Shadow Yuuna, raising a hand to crush the Persona card before him. “Every life is worth saving.” He declared. “We won’t let you die! Oukuninushi!” The warrior-Persona manifested once more, blade held high, and brought the sword down on their foe. Shadow Yuuna let out an unearthly shriek as its every defense was shattered, pierced by the sword until it could no longer maintain its form and dissolved into black mist.

As the Investigation Team recovered their breath from the pitched battle, the real Yuuna stirred from where she’d lost consciousness. Chie and Yukiko were the first to reach her, helping the songwriter to her feet before stepping back and letting her confront her Shadow alone. “You… You’re a liar…” She seethed.

“Yuuna-san, that is a part of you.” Yu stood beside her and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We all have sides of ourselves that we can’t stand and would prefer to bury, but facing those parts of ourselves makes us stronger for the experience.”

Yosuke nodded, adding, “We all went through the same thing. You’ll feel a lot better once you accept it.”

Yuuna stood silently before tears began forming at the corners of her eyes. “For my entire life, I’ve just been a mess. I’ve always been on my own; my father abandoned my mother and I, my brother got involved in some bad stuff, and then my mother died. When my father gained custody of me, he just sent me here to stay at the Amagi Inn. Honestly, paying for me to stay there is the nicest thing he’s ever done for me.” She fixed her Shadow with a much more even gaze, unwavering despite her tears.

“It’s true that all I want is someone to love me and care for me. I don’t want to be tossed aside anymore, but at the same time I’m afraid of hurting everyone else. It’s stupid… I want to be important to someone, but I’m too afraid to get close. This thing’s right. It’s been right the whole time.” She made her way to her Shadow with unsteady movements, taking her fallen doppelganger’s hand and pulling it upright. “I hate saying it… I hate it, but it’s true. You are me.”

Yuuna’s Shadow nodded and smiled, fading away into a bright azure light as a tailed figure in flowing garments hovered amidst the glow. It and Yuuna shared a nod as she breathed to herself, “Tamamo-no-Mae…” Then the glow and Persona were gone, and Yuuna collapsed to her knees.

“H-Hey, Yuuna-san?” Rise was the one to reach her first this time, a worried expression on her face. “She’s not in good shape. We need to get her out of here.” Kanji assisted the idol in helping Yuuna to her feet as the team guided her out of the TV World and back to their own.

As they emerged from the TV in the electronics department, Yuuna blinked a few times and asked dazedly, ”Is this… Junes? Why are we here? What just happened in there?”

Chie smiled, her relief showing on her face as she answered, “We’ll tell you all about it, but you need to get your strength back first. Hey Yukiko, let’s take her back to the Inn.”

“Yes… Please come with us, Yuuna-san.” As the two best friends led the newly-rescued Yuuna away, the rest of the team looked at each other.

“We did it again.” Yosuke commented simply. “That was a tough one… But at least Yuuna-san’s safe. That’s good.”

Yu nodded, though something Nanako had said was nagging at him. Why did Yuuna look so much like him?


	3. Family Ties

Yuuna sat at a table in the Junes food court, arms crossed over her chest while the ones who’d saved her from her other self were gathered around. Yukiko – that girl whose family ran the Amagi Inn and who was part of her rescue team – had been checking up on her, and asked her to meet her and her friends at Junes once she’d recovered. She didn’t exactly have a reason to say no.

“Sorry for calling you out here, Yuuna-san.” The boy with the dyed brown hair seemed a little too cheerful for her liking, though maybe it was just because he was with all his friends. “We’d like to ask you about what happened when you got kidnapped.”

One of the girls immediately snapped at him, her voice sharp and exasperated. “Yosuke, have a little manners! We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet!”

The girl from the Amagi Inn – Yukiko, if Yuuna remembered her name – smiled serenely and asked, “Why don’t we do that while Yu-kun’s placing our orders?” She turned to Yuuna and inclined her head politely. “You might not remember, so I’ll go first. I’m Yukiko Amagi.” There was something about this girl that Yuuna liked. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was there.

“I’m Yosuke Hanamura. Glad to see you’re doing better, Yuuna-san.” His cheerfulness was starting to get on her nerves, but she tried to hold off on making judgment calls. He had helped save her, after all.

The girl in green who’d snapped at Yosuke was next. “I’m Chie Satonaka! You must be pretty tough, being on your feet again after only a few days.” Yuuna wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that, but she decided to ask later.

“Kanji Tatsumi. ‘Sup.” The boy in the muscle shirt spoke next. He looked pretty intimidating, with his lack of eyebrows and shoulder tattoo, though it wasn’t as though Yuuna hadn’t seen worse in America.

She already knew who the last girl was, with her red hair tied up in pigtails. “You’re Risette, right? Rise Kujikawa?”

Rise’s face fell as Yuuna asked, but she nodded regardless. “Yeah, I’m Rise. I’m on hiatus now though, so I’d like it if you just called me Rise. I’m… not Risette anymore.”

Before Yuuna could say anything, the… person in the mascot suit waddled up right next to her chair and exclaimed, “I’m Teddie! It’s beary nice to meet you, Yuu-chan!”

“’Beary’…” That one made her smile, internalizing a giggling fit as she did so. Teddie she would probably like.

Before the conversation could continue at all, the last member of the group arrived – a tall young man with silver hair and gunmetal-gray eyes. Yuuna recognized him as the leader of this group that had saved her, and saw that he resembled a shadow she barely remembered.

“Oh, Senpai! We’re all introducing ourselves to Yuuna-san, you’re the only one left!” Rise waved and gave the brightest smile Yuuna had ever seen, causing her to scowl as everyone looked at her. Of course everyone loved her, the magnificent idol…

“I guess I should introduce myself then. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yuuna-san. I’m Yu Narukami.”

Her blood froze at that name, her teeth involuntarily grinding together. “Narukami…?” She seethed, unprepared for her own anger. She thought she’d gotten past this, past the anger that had plagued her through her childhood, but even hearing that name made her blood boil.

Yu looked confused at her reaction, asking gently, “Is something wrong, Yuuna-san?”

“I’m leaving.” She snapped, getting up and turning to leave before everyone else got up around her. “What do you want?” She snarled, glaring at all of them. “I don’t want to be here. Leave me alone!” Yosuke moved to step in front of her, but faltered at the sight of her glare as she ran and left the group behind.

~~

Yuuna ran all the way to the Samegawa flood plain before stopping and yelling, “Stop following me! Just leave me alone, dammit!”

Yu stopped a few yards from her, his voice supremely calm as he asked, “Why do you hate me so much? I don’t remember ever meeting you, but if I’ve hurt you in some way, please tell me so I can make amends.”

She whirled around to face him, breathing hard both from her running and her emotions. “I… No, we’ve never met before. I just have really, really horrible memories of the name Narukami.” She was fighting back tears, trying to remind herself that she couldn’t let this get to her, she couldn’t be angry about it anymore.

“I know I don’t really have any right to say this, since we just met and everything, but if you feel like letting it out I’d be happy to listen to you.” He was just so reassuring, calm and gentle. Like a teacher you could really trust. Which was silly, since she was damn sure they were the same age.

Yuuna let out a long, shuddering breath. It wasn’t as if explaining things would make it any worse. “You know my last name’s Shinomiya, yeah? That’s my mom’s last name. She never married my dad; he was rich and swept her off her feet, and she fell for him hard. Her late husband was kind of a jackass, I guess. Anyway, my dad would go all over Japan on business, sometimes even overseas, and every time he came back he’d ask me what I’d learned and how I was doing. I didn’t know what he was getting at for years, but I remember when I was five he left my mom. It was bad – she was crying her eyes out and begging him not to go, but he just said I wasn’t good enough to be his successor. ‘Trash like you isn’t worth my time, this was a mistake,’ he said. That was the last we ever saw of him.”

She was dimly aware of tears rolling down her face and of Yu listening patiently to her. He didn’t look bored or annoyed or anything. “My mom changed after that. She blamed me for driving my dad off, moved us both to America because she couldn’t stand Japan anymore. And nothing I did was ever good enough from then on; I got good grades, but she didn’t even care. The only times she wasn’t working was when she was sleeping or eating. I asked her once why she did nothing but work, and she told me it was my fault, because if my dad hadn’t left her she wouldn’t have had to work a day in her life. And she worked so hard for so long that she worked herself to death – she was so stressed one day that she fell down the stairs and broke her skull open. I called the ambulance and got her to the hospital, but she died three hours later from trauma to the brain. Her last words to me were ‘This is your fault, Yuuna.’”

She glared hotly into Yu’s eyes as she seethed, “The bastard who led my mom on and made her hate me when he left was named Narukami. Isamu Narukami.”

That got a reaction out of him. Every muscle in his body tensed and his eyes widened; it looked like he was about to scream. Then he lowered his head and pressed his hands together in apology, his voice choked as he murmured, “I’m so, so sorry, Yuuna-san. I’m so sorry that my dad… That he would do something like that to you…”

“Your… Isamu Narukami was your dad?” She hadn’t expected that. Her voice sounded faint in her ears as she watched him apologize to her, even after she’d been the one to attack him.

“Isamu is my dad’s name. He’s a big name in the corporate world – Narukami Communications is the result of his ‘business sense,’ as corrupt as it is. I haven’t spent too much time with him in the last few years; I think he got tired of me resisting him when he tried to teach me to be as ruthless in business as he is, so he and my mom started shoving me on my relatives.”

Yuuna’s mind raced at the influx of information. This was the ‘successor’ her father had chosen. The one who’d sent her life on a downward spiral, who’d destroyed her family without ever knowing it. The one whose fault it really was that her entire had gone to hell. The one she should’ve been. A small snort escaped her as her lips twisted into a sardonic smile. “So you’re my half-brother. Imagine that.” Her voice came out bitter, almost vitriolic as she turned her back to him.

There was a few moment of uncomfortable silence before Yu hesitantly asked, “So…?”

“Every member of my family I’ve ever known has either treated me like shit or abandoned me for one reason or another. It’s not like I know you’re any different. I won’t avoid you or anything, but don’t expect me to be a fawning sister just because I found out we’re related.” Maybe she was being a little too harsh, but she didn’t really care. The source of all her problems was standing behind her and watching her back with gray eyes.

Yu’s voice was quiet and understanding as he replied, “I understand. You should get to know me before you make a snap decision. Though for the record, I hope we can get along.”

Looking back over her shoulder at him, she deadpanned, “Yeah, hopefully. Anyway, I’m gonna go back for today and study a little bit more. Exams start tomorrow, after all. Oh yeah, and can you tell your friends that I’m sorry for freaking out?” He nodded. “Thanks, Bro. See you.” She wandered off, leaving Yu baffled.

“…Bro?”

~

Exams passed in a blur, which wasn’t much different than any other exams Yuuna had ever taken. The days flew by in a haze of questions and answers, until at last the tests were over and she could actually think about something that wasn’t school. On her way out of class, she heard some familiar voices and decided on a whim to duck in.

“Hey, Bro.” She called dully as she made her way over to where Yu and his friends were talking. “How’d exams go?”

Rise looked to her, back to Yu, then did a double take. “Woah, Yuuna-san?! I didn’t expect to see you here!”

Yuuna turned a blank gaze onto the idol and replied, “I didn’t expect to see you either, Rise-san. Though I guess it’s not too unusual for you to be here despite being a first-year. So, how’d everyone do on the exams?” She noticed the downcast faces on everyone but Yu and Yukiko. “…I guess the three of us are the only confident ones. Anyway, see ya.”

Before she could leave, Yu called after her and asked, “Hey, Yuuna-san. We were just going to go down to Junes, you want to come along?” She froze at the invitation, not expecting it.

“Umm, sure, I guess. But, Bro…” She hesitated, mustering her courage. She’d already made her decision on this, so why was it so hard? “Can you… treat me like your sister? I’ve had some time to think on it, and I like the idea of having a brother I can rely on.”

Everyone was silent for a moment before letting out a collective, “What?!” Chie was the first to continue speaking, shouting, “Yuuna-san’s your sister?! I thought you only had Nanako-chan?”

“It’s complicated.” Yu quickly answered. “Why don’t we talk about it at Junes? Let’s go.” He quickly got out of his seat, and everyone followed. Including Yuuna, who had a faint smile playing around her lips as she walked with her brother and his friends.

~~

“So you’re half-siblings, huh?” Chie asked in between bites of grilled steak. “Well, that pretty much means you’re part of the group already! I mean, if you want to hang out with us, Yuuna-san.”

A crimson flush overtook Yuuna’s face as she murmured, “I wouldn’t mind… It’s a little weird though, I’m not used to it…” Despite her nervousness, she couldn’t help but feel happy that she’d been invited into their little group. “Thanks, Chie-san.”

“Pfff, don’t be so stiff! Just be friendly with us. Right guys?” She glanced around to the rest of the group, all of whom nodded their assent. “See? We’re all friends here.”

For the first time since she arrived in Inaba, Yuuna allowed herself a happy, genuine smile. “Thanks, everyone… I’m really happy that you want me around. I’ve never had a group of friends that wanted to include me before, so this is a dream come true for me.” She wiped away a single happy tear, her face still red.

“Oh yeah, we never got the chance to tell Yuuna-chan about what happened! You know, in the other world.” Yosuke’s exclamation immediately turned everyone serious, including Yuuna.

“Yeah, that. You guys came to save me, so you know what was going on. I want to know.”

Once the explanation was done, Yuuna smiled thoughtfully and nodded. “So we go into that other world to save people who are kidnapped and thrown in by the serial murderer. And we have to keep an eye on the weather, because when the fog comes in our world, the Shadows in the other one go berserk and kill whoever’s stuck in there. We can go in because we have Personas, which is why the police can’t do a thing about this yet we can. Have I got it right?”

Yu grinned at her quick understanding and stated, “Yeah, right on the nose. You picked it up really quick.”

“So now that I faced myself, I have a Persona as well. So by that logic, I can go into the other world too and fight Shadows, right?” Nods all around. “Then let me help you. For my entire life I’ve wanted to be needed by others… And if there are more victims, they need our help more than anyone. If I can do something to help them, I definitely will!” She slapped her palm down on the table, her face filled with determination.

“Damn right!” Kanji threw his arm in the air in his familiar muscle pose. “You’re definitely Senpai’s sister, Yuuna-senpai! We’re gonna keep this up and put the killer behind bars!”

The energy among the group was renewed by Kanji’s excitement, and the rest of the day was spent chatting amiably among themselves. Finally everyone parted ways, leaving Yu and Rise to talk alone, while Yuuna went back to the Amagi Inn. She hadn’t felt so happy in all her life. “I have… friends. I have friends and a new brother.” She giggled to herself, feeling like she was on cloud nine all the way back.


End file.
